Worth getting off the Hill for: The Tramontane Cafe

by Emily Gerston
FEATURES EDITOR

Upstate New York is well-known for its chicken riggies and buffalo wings, but good vegetarian and vegan food can be hard to find. Vegan food that appeals to a die-hard meat-eater like me seems like asking for the impossible. Enter The Tramontane Café in Utica, better known as The Tram.

The vegan and vegetarian cuisine satisfied even my carnivorous tummy. Featuring a wide variety of soups, sandwiches, breakfast food, munchies and drinks, The Tram brings a local flavor to Utica. “We try to stay as local as possible,” explained Robin Raabe, The Tram’s primary manager.

Coffee is supplied by the Utica Roasting Company, which goes through its entire coffee-producing process in the Utica area (except, of course, growing the coffee beans), and bagels come from Bagel Grove, also of Utica. Moreover, all of the food is prepared from scratch in the oval kitchen Raabe described as “the mini-track.”

Breakfast foods are a crucial part of my diet, but I decided to skip the all-day breakfast menu in favor of real-person food. Vegan food gets a bum rap for being flavorless and leaving you hungry, but my spinach and garlic soup, part of the constantly rotating soup menu, proved that wholly untrue. My soup was filling and tasty, without relying on pounds of salt to substitute for flavor (Okay, it wasn’t totally vegan - it contained “egg flakes,” whatever those are). My TRAMburger was equally successful, even though as a general rule I don’t do black bean burgers after a bad experience at summer camp.

But if your idea of a café is incomplete without a nice roast beef sandwich slathered with decidedly non-vegan mayonnaise, don’t feel left out. “We do serve the meat-eating community as well,” joked Raabe, pointing to a selection of both vegan and non-vegan deli sandwiches.

A bit of flexibility is required upon entering The Tram. Raabe informed me that The TRAMburger only had black bean patties and no boca burger option that day (no problem for me), and that the breakfast menu was available in full except for the mini-pancakes and cereals. They more than make up for it in their selection, and in multiple visits with both parents and friends, none of us have gone wrong with any of our orders.

As a non-coffee drinker, I also ordered my caffeinated staple of life: a chai latte, and was countered with the question, “Would you like black tea, green tea, decaf,or sugar-free?” Whoa. My friends deemed the coffee and mocha to be perfectly drinkable also.

The Tram is also a hub for local music and entertainment. “We’re proud supporters of all things Utica, so to speak,” said Raabe, who sells tickets to local music shows and Central New York Roller Derby events at The Tram.

Craft night, songwriters’ circle and game night all rotate through Wednesday night time-slots. Open mic nights are hosted every Sunday and live music most weekends. “We also sell local and regional music of all performers who have played here - if they have a CD, we sell them.”

If the food and music aren’t enough of a draw, come for the character. The café is decorated with album covers and event posters, with a stack of board games and books adjacent to the seating area with comfy couches and armchairs.

But mostly, come because The Tram likes you. “We’re an all-ages, intergenerationally friendly, non-alcoholic venue,” said Raabe, an alluring late-night option for the those under 21. “We don’t see a lot of people under the age of 25 usually. Stereotypical student populations aren’t finding us.” So go find them, and don’t forget to take advantage of the 15 percent student discount.